Prince Harry Vegas: Marlies Schild Austria Olympic Alpine Skiing Star Profile,Biography & Pictures 2012

Birthdate: May 31, 1981
Weight: 146 lbs (66 kg)
Height: 5’7” (1.72 m)
Age: 30 years
Gender: Female
Sport: Olympic Alpine Skiing
Nation: Austria
DOB: May 31, 1981
Hometown: Admont

Queen without golden crown
With 21 victories on the World Cup circuit and three crystal globes, Marlies Schild is considered one of the best technical event skiers in the world. However, the skier once dubbed the "Slalom Queen" has yet to reach the top of the podium at the Olympics or World Championships. She failed to finish her first slalom run in her Olympic debut at the 2002 Salt Lake Games. At the 2006 Torino Games, she finished runner-up in the combined and third in the slalom.

Early carving
Schild grew up as the second of four children in a "ski addicted family" in Saalfelden, a town 25 miles south of Salzburg. Her father Josef and mother Rosi, both ski instructors, were instrumental in getting all their children on the slopes at an early age. Marlies' 20-year-old sister Bernadette is a rising star in Alpine, having finished first and second in slalom at the Junior World Championships in 2008 and 2009, respectively, and races on the Austrian B-team in 2009-10.

Entire season wiped out ...
Schild suffered a broken left leg in a training fall on the Rettenbachferner glacier in Austria on the eve of the 2008-09 World Cup season, sabotaging all chances for her to earn her first overall World Cup title. After rehabbing her leg in Innsbruck and Saalfelden, she first got back on skis on Easter Sunday, when she went cross-country skiing with her boyfriend of six years, Austrian men's superstar Benjamin Raich. Her first Alpine training session came in July 2009, when she returned to the scene of her injury, Rettenbachferner.
... but not entire year
Schild picked up where she left off, taking second place in the slalom event at Aspen in November and winning that event at Lienz just before New Year's. Her margin of victory in the two-run race at Lienz was a whopping 1.83 seconds as she exhibited her old form. After the race, she admitted that she was finally able to rid herself of the doubts collected over 14 months and focus on racing during her clinching second run.

Marlies Schild